DOCTORAL PROGRAMS

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY. The Ph.D. degree is offered in the following fields:

DOCTOR OF ARTS. The D.A. degree is offered in chemistry and music.

DOCTOR OF EDUCATION. The Ed.D. degree is offered in education.

Requirements for the Doctorate • Applicants for admission to the graduate programs leading to the doctorate are advised to read carefully the statements under the paragraph "General Requirements for all Higher Degrees," at the beginning of this chapter. Additional departmental requirements may be found in the "Programs and Courses of Instruction" chapter of this catalog.

Course Requirements • The aim of the doctoral program is to afford instruction and guidance leading to the mastery of a major field. Specific course requirements as deemed necessary are stipulated by the student's advisory committee. In certain instances, a student may be required to take courses in a minor field. For students required to take a minor, a specific program will be formulated.

Degree Credit Requirement • To fulfill the degree credit requirement, the student must (a) have completed three years (54 hours) of study beyond the bachelor's degree; (b) have completed a minimum of two years (36 hours) of graduate study at The University of Mississippi; and (c) have completed a minimum of one year (18 hours) of graduate work in continuous residence.

Where course work (excluding dissertation hours) is required for the degree, at least one-half, up to 30 hours, must be completed at The University of Mississippi.

Certain nontraditional graduate programs have been approved for delivery at off-campus sites, including centers at Tupelo and Jackson. Course work taken at these sites can fulfill the above requirements.

Preliminary Examination • At or near the beginning of the student's work beyond the master's degree, the department or school may require a preliminary examination to determine the student's qualifications to undertake a program leading to the doctorate and to assist the student's adviser in planning the student's program.

Time Limit • The total duration of study for a doctoral degree may not exceed seven years. It is expected that students will have been admitted to candidacy, i.e., passed all parts of their comprehensive examinations, within four years.

Students who have not defended a dissertation prospectus within seven years will forfeit all credit earned toward the doctorate. However, students who do not complete all requirements for the degree within seven years may appeal to re-defend their prospectus in oral examination. The prospectus committee may be the same or may be different than the previous committee. The prospectus topic may be the same or different than that presented earlier. If it is the same, the student must review work published in the last five years that impact the proposed dissertation. The faculty may question the student to assess competency to perform the proposed work. As a result of this questioning, the department may require the student to take another written comprehensive examination, take specific courses, or other remedies deemed appropriate by the faculty. Successful presentation and adoption of the prospectus, as determined by a unanimous vote of the committee, and the completion of any other requirements, will extend up to two years the student's eligibility to graduate.

Transfer Credit • See Transfer of Graduate Credit From Another Institution, page 36.

Admission to Candidacy for the Doctorate • Upon notification to the Graduate School that a doctoral student has successfully completed all portions of a comprehensive examination, the student will be admitted to candidacy.

Continuous Enrollment • After admission to candidacy, enrollment must be continuous. Continuous enrollment is defined as enrollment for at least 3 semester hours credit during two of the three terms of the calendar year: fall, spring, summer. Minimum enrollment for any summer term would be 1 hour if this enrollment were not to satisfy the Continuous Enrollment Policy.

Penalty Clause • The penalty for failure to maintain continuous enrollment is a fee equal to 6 hours of tuition for each semester of suspended enrollment.

Foreign Language Requirement • The foreign language requirement is determined by each department or school.

 

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